It’s #AgVocate Time for @Bayer4CropsUS

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCast 537It is #AgVocacy Forum time prior to Commodity Classic here in San Antonio. I got to sit down with my good friend, David Hollinrake, vice president of Agricultural Commercial Operations (ACO) Marketing for Crop Science, a Division of Bayer. We’ve been having fun agvocating since even before I was part of the Google Glass program.

In this week’s episode David talks about how and why Bayer is committed to investing in the concept of agvocating. That effort has trained 1,000 people so far and he says they have a goal of 10,000. I hope you enjoy our conversation just prior to the start of today’s program.

Listen to this week’s program here: ZimmCast with David Hollinrake, Bayer

2017 Bayer AgVocate Forum Photos


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The ZimmCast

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Bayer, Video, ZimmCast

AgVocates Gathering for Bayer Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

AgVocates from around the country – including the @Agriblogger – are gathering in San Antonio today for the Bayer AgVocacy Forum starting today.

This is the 12th consecutive year that Bayer has organized the forum before Commodity Classic to showcase individuals and ideas that are making a strong impact on the future of farming and food production. This year’s event will continue open discussion and engagement around critical topics, such as launching the next agricultural food revolution, embracing new and emerging technologies to achieve sustainable agriculture, addressing farm labor concerns from all sides, and more.

Among the many AgVocates on the agenda is author and academic lecturer Dr. Vikram Mansharamani who will keynote on how to navigate global economic uncertainty. Mansharamani is a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the global business environment. Additionally, Vivian Howard, chef and owner of Chef & The Farmer in Kinston, N.C., as well as TV star of PBS’s “A Chef’s Life,” will also join the forum to share her personal story of returning to invest in a rural American community.

2017 Bayer AgVocate Forum Photos

Agribusiness, Bayer

Charleston|Orwig Adds Senior Account Executive

Kelly Marshall

Cassie Yontz is joining the client services team at Charleston|Orwig, working to support Dairyland Seed and the Illinois Soybean Association with marketing, brand strategy and communication.

“Cassie’s extensive crop and agriculture background make her a key addition to the C|O family. Her role brings immense value to our clients and C|O, and we are excited to have her join us,” said Brittany Unterweger, vice president of client services.

Yontz joins the C|O team from Archer Malmo, where she served as a public relations specialist for a variety of agricultural clients. Prior to that she spent five years with GROWMARK, Inc. in Bloomington, Illinois as the publications and media relations specialist. Since growing up on her family farm in central Illinois, Cassie has had a passion for all things agriculture. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in agricultural communications and public relations and remains focused on being a voice for the agriculture industry.

Agribusiness

ICYMI: Live With Camso at #NFMS17

Chuck Zimmerman

We were AgWired Live on Facebook from the National Farm Machinery Show recently with Martin Lunkenbein and Eric Blondeau to talk about two new products from Camso. I gave them each the opportunity to tell us what’s new during our live webcast – you can watch the replay below:


Martin talks about Camso’s new CTS High Speed which allows tracked harvesting machines to reach road speeds similar to wheeled combines with its integrated final drive system.

Eric shows off the AG 2500 series track, available for all friction-drive tractors, including the John Deere 8RT and 9RT tractors as well as the AGCO MT700 and MT800 platforms.

2017 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by
Coverage of the National Farm Machinery Show is sponsored by FMC
Equipment, NFMS, Tractor, Video

Farmers Edge at #Classic17

Jamie Johansen

A little birdie told us Farmers Edge has some big news being revealed next week at Commodity Classic. Mums the word, but we suggest stopping by booth #942 to hear the latest in precision technology on Friday, March 3rd.


Agribusiness, Commodity Classic, Precision Agriculture, Video

FMC Offers PPO Resistance Advice for Farmers

Kelly Marshall

When we say “resistance” most of us think glyphosate, but marestail and palmer amaranth have also developed a resistance to PPO in some states, according to FMC technical service representative Nick Hustedde.

“It’s definitely a significant problem. It’s unfortunate any time we loose a herbicide technology,” Hustedde said during an interview at National Farm Machinery Show. But fortunately we can do things to preserve the effectiveness of PPO herbicides.

“With PPO resistance the mechanism is actually a low-level resistance so we can still over come it. Our soil applied treatments are still providing value, so when we think about a soil treatment, you know we’re trying to control what’s there at the time of application as well as what might come up six weeks from the application. So it’s a high dose in the soil and it can overcome that resistance mechanism.”

Diversification and more effective sites of action are key to control. FMC offers products like Authority MTZ and Authority Elite herbicides that offer two sites of action, as well as others that work for growers facing more large seeded broad leaf pressure, like Anthem Maxx herbicide. Other practices like row spacing, higher seeding rates and cover crops play a part in preserving technologies as well.

To learn more listen to Chuck’s full interview with Hustedde and stop by to talk with him and other FMC experts at both Commodity Class and the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show this week. Interview with Nick Hustedde, FMC

2017 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Audio, FMC, National Farm Machinery Show, NFMS

NAMA Honors Mike Stern as Agribusiness Leader

Kelly Marshall

Mike Stern, Chief Executive Officer of The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, has been selected as the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) 2017 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. The award, considered NAMA’s highest honor, will be presented at the 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference in April.

Mike Stern exemplifies the spirit of the award through his understanding of the challenges farmers face and his passion for solving agriculture’s most pressing issue: the need to feed a growing population while minimizing the impact on the environment. Stern and his team are on the forefront of solving this problem through digital agriculture, which holds the potential to unlock the next giant leap in farming productivity and efficiency. Through the combination of advanced data science, sensors and seamless connectivity of farm data, Climate is helping farmers gain a deeper understanding of their fields with data-driven, real-time insights delivered through digital tools available right at their fingertips.

Stern has served the agriculture industry by providing testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture on the importance of privacy, speaking about the potential of digital ag and helping to launch the America’s Farmers program that supports rural communities and schools.

NAMA

House Ag Committee Chair to Speak at Classic

Kelly Marshall

U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, will give an address at Commodity Classic on Friday, March 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Conaway represents 29 counties in the 11th congressional district of Texas– his native state. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Premanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“We are very pleased that Congressman Conaway has agreed to address Commodity Classic attendees,” said Ed Erickson, Jr., a North Dakota soybean farmer and co-chair of the 2017 Commodity Classic. “With the change in administration in Washington, DC, the next Farm Bill due for debate, and discussions on international trade policy, the farmers attending Commodity Classic will be very interested to hear from one of the nation’s ag policy leaders on a wide range of issues.”

Other notable speakers include John O’Leary, a motivation speaker who suffered sever childhood burns and amputations and now encourages other to live boldly, and the leadership of the four presenting commodity associations.

Ag Groups, Commodity Classic

GROWMARK Growing as a Propane Retailer

Cindy Zimmerman

GROWMARK ranked as the fifth largest propane retailer in the United States by LP Gas Magazine with sales of over 211 million retail gallons of propane during 2016.

“Propane is used for a lot of different reasons,” says Zach Baugher, GROWMARK Propane Marketing & Technical Services Manager. “Home heat, livestock building heat, grain dryers, and now we’re starting to see an increase in autogas and irrigation motors.”

Baugher says autogas has tremendous growth potential. “We see it as the area that will grow the most between now and 2025,” he said, noting that fueling infrastructure is what is currently restricting expansion. “But we’re really seeing a push for propane-powered school buses right now because of the total cost of ownership savings.”

In this interview, Baugher talks about how GROWMARK is preparing to serve the growing market for propane autogas and how increased use of propane for irrigation motors is being fueled by promotion efforts from the Propane Education and Research Council‘s Farm Incentive Program. Interview with Zach Baugher, GROWMARK Propane

Audio, GROWMARK, Propane

Ag Groups & Ethanol Discuss Common Ground

Jamie Johansen

L-R: RFA CEO Bob Dinneen, former NPPC president Randy Spronk, NCGA CEO Chris Novak

At the National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen sat down with representatives from the corn and livestock industries to talk about the current state of the farm economy, the policy impact of historic surpluses, and moving past food versus fuel.

Dinneen discussed common ground with National Corn Growers Association CEO Chris Novak and National Pork Producers Council past president Randy Spronk. Listen to the discussion here: #RFANEC Ag Groups discussion

National Ethanol Conference photo album

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Livestock, NCGA, NPPC, RFA